dna – simplifying communications
When it comes to keeping pace with changes in the market, our technology team is also well ahead of the game. They’ve developed a world-class suite of software - called DNA - which provides a wide range of support tools to simplify communication with customers.
DNA puts customers in total control of their dealings with St Ives and provides them with a central point from which to manage their print requirements efficiently - saving them time, resources and money. It encompasses everything from asset management and control of images to intelligent database management and a unique warehouse administration system.
DNA also enables customers to organise their resources and images, view 3-dimensional interiors via a virtual store, upload jobs through workflow, and synchronise appointments with different areas of our organisation.
dna – a unique customer portal
Having successfully provided clients with highly effective communications for a number of years, we’ve now linked these capabilities to an industry leading suite of software called Dynamic Network Access (DNA). Used in conjunction with our extensive production services, DNA provides clients with powerful and bespoke reporting via a unique customer portal.
a hub for all transactions
DNA enables our customers to control their print and associated assets online via a single web portal. It is already helping customers to manage, monitor and report on all their print requirements. Indeed, for those customers drawing on the St Ives Group resource and requiring print from multiple sites, DNA acts as the hub for all transactions.
DNA modules already in use by clients across the St Ives Group include:
• The Welcome module - essentially the DNA home page, which can be personalised for each client to include a welcome note, news stories, articles and other forms of communication with users.
• The Ordering module allows clients to place orders for items held by St Ives and in customer warehouses, enabling users to stay in control of their stock, while an in-built budgeting facility allows them to control their spend.
• The Workflow module is an online estimating and approval tool which provides a facility for entering print job specifications, requesting quotations, viewing quotations and approving costs prior to going to print. If a customer already has a home grown system, we can simply integrate that with DNA.
• The Management Information module allows clients to maintain complete control over all their print requirements and enables them to access comprehensive data relating to KPIs, budgets, estimates, jobs, sales, stock and help desk queries.
• The Administration module is used to manage users and to add or amend news stories and welcome details. Clients can manage their own DNA administration or St Ives can do this for them.
• The Artwork module allows clients to create artwork based on pre-determined templates, generate low resolution PDF proofs, and order artwork. This module is designed to reduce lead times and, as brand integrity is maintained, it allows organisations with numerous stores to order their own unique print.
• The Asset Management Module. Years of expertise in managing digital assets on behalf of the world's best known brands means we now have it down to a fine art. Whether you need to deliver JPEGs to Japan or PDFs to Papua New Guinea, centralised digital asset management holds the key to achieving this efficiently. DNA can be linked with third party asset management systems if required.
• The Tracking module gives a high level overview of all print currently in hand with St Ives and its third party suppliers. Users simply click on a job to find out who placed the work and where it is in the production process. An in-built alert mechanism highlights any issues with a job, while online access means tracking can be carried out 24/7.
• The DataStore module provides clients with a database of customer details. Surveys of a client’s estate can be carried out, or alternatively, existing database details can be imported into DNA. This data can then be maintained on an ongoing basis and used to determine print allocation for forthcoming promotions, or to demonstrate how print should be displayed.
Together, these modules – and others under development - put customers in total control of their dealings with St Ives Direct and help them manage their print requirements more efficiently - saving them time, resources and money. Modules can also be tailored by the St Ives in-house development team to suit individual customer needs.
Delivering Measurable Added Value
We hope this demonstrates clearly that, at St Ives Direct, we don’t just process print jobs, but instead deliver measurable added value to clients by providing innovative ways of making their customer communications more effective.
Under one roof, we offer solutions for every aspect of the communications cycle - from who to target, through imaginative print, multi-channel communications methods and one-to-one campaign production, to the most efficient methods for disseminating those campaigns.
Our aim is to help you communicate with your customers through the most effective combination of channels. In short, St Ives Direct is a complete direct marketing services provider - one that’s not only brimming with innovative and effective ideas, but one that’s also supported by the very best production facilities in Europe.
Why not talk to us today about how we can help your business.
To illustrate the range of our services, of necessity, we have reproduced customers' registered and unregistered trade marks and representations of their brands. The rights that our customers have in their respective trade marks and brands are fully acknowledged.